According to Salem Al Shair, director of e-services for Dubai eGovernment, ePay was originally launched as a payment solution for government and semi-government departments, "but has now been extended to the private sector, providing an easy, cash-less payment solution to a whole range of purchases".

"At GITEX, we will also be highlighting the newly launched ePermits service, a centralised project which aims at facilitating faster release of goods coming into Dubai through different ports," he says. "Our GITEX stand will host local government departments as well as some federal ministries and entities. GITEX is an excellent platform to showcase our groundbreaking initiatives and spread awareness about the benefits of adopting eServices."

Al Shair explains that Dubai's eGovernment project was set up to improve interdepartmental communication and simplify procedures and transactions between citizens and the government of Dubai. While the project's pioneering efforts have seen similar initiatives emerge in the region, Al Shair claims that Dubai remains ahead of the pack.

"Dubai has taken the lead in deploying eGovernment applications and is among the first few governments in the world to provide such integrated services to its citizens," he says. "The eGovernment portal is a single contact point masking the complexity of the bureaucratic procedures, and guiding access to all services in the easiest possible way."